Mavericks at Work

Industry pal Polly LaBarre is co-author of Mavericks at Work, which I had to pleasure to learn about long before launch at a private dinner in San Francisco several months back.

She spoke at New York's Great Read in the Park (Bryant Park) last week, together with a number of other fabulous authors. (I was only able to catch a glimpse of the day)

I've had the book for awhile, and while I always have three going at once, I haven't had a chance to give it the time it deserves yet. The books keep piling up - I never realized until recently just how many authors I know - I need to add my own to the pile one of these days, if only there was a window to write a novel or two or ..........

I love the concept of what they are trying to convey here and recommend picking up a copy. They took an in-depth look at a number of important organizations and relay a set of insights and a collection of case studies that amount to a business plan for the 21st century, essentially a new way to lead, compete, and succeed.

Their basic argument when it comes to thriving in a hyper-competitive marketplace, is that 'playing it safe' is "no longer playing it smart. In an economy defined by overcapacity, oversupply, and utter sensory overload--an economy in which everyone already has more than enough of whatever it is you’re selling--the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for a truly distinctive set of ideas about where your company and industry can and should be going. You can't do big things as a competitor if you're content with doing things a little better than the competition."